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What we know
The Cornell Seven case in plain terms: what is alleged, what has happened, and what comes next.
What is the Cornell Seven case?
A former Cornell student, identified in court papers as Jane Doe, says she was drugged and sexually assaulted by several members of the Chi Phi fraternity at its chapter house in Ithaca in October 2024. In September 2026 she filed a civil lawsuit against Cornell University, seven current and former students, fraternity and sorority organizations, and others in New York County Supreme Court. "The Cornell Seven" refers to the seven students named as defendants.
Her claims are allegations. No court has ruled on them, and none of the seven has been charged with a crime.
Sources: CBC News, The Ithaca Voice, Executive Order No. 64
Has anyone been charged with a crime?
No. In November 2024, after Cornell University Police asked it to review the plaintiff's six-page sworn statement, the Tompkins County District Attorney's Office decided the facts it described did not amount to a crime under New York law. The District Attorney says that statement described events differently from the lawsuit. News reports later revealed a transcript of her police interview in which, according to CBS News, she said, "I can say with 100% confidence I was raped"; the District Attorney says his office never received it.
Sources: District Attorney's statement, September 28, 2026, CBS News
Who is investigating now?
New York Attorney General Letitia James. On October 1, 2026, Governor Kathy Hochul appointed her special prosecutor by Executive Order No. 64, taking the case over from the Tompkins County District Attorney, who had reopened it on September 28. She can investigate and, "if warranted," present evidence to a grand jury and prosecute.
On October 7, one of the seven defendants filed a petition in Albany County Supreme Court to block her appointment, saying she has shown bias. No court has ruled on it.
Sources: Executive Order No. 64, NBC News
What did Cornell do?
Cornell suspended the Chi Phi chapter in November 2024; it was closed that year and remains barred from campus. Cornell issued temporary suspensions while its Title IX office investigated, and a hearing panel of faculty and staff heard the case in 2025.
According to records obtained by The New York Times, the panel concluded that two of the seven students sexually assaulted the plaintiff. Two students were expelled, two were suspended, one who had graduated was barred from campus, and two received no-contact orders, educational modules and reflection papers. Cornell says no student was given essays "as a sole consequence." We do not publish which student received which outcome.
Sources: Cornell statement, November 26, 2024, Cornell FAQ, The Cornell Daily Sun, citing The New York Times
Is anyone reviewing how Cornell handled it?
Yes, two reviews. On October 6, 2026, a special committee of Cornell's Board of Trustees hired former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates and the law firm King & Spalding to review how Cornell prevents and responds to sexual misconduct, including this case. The board says it will share the results. Separately, the Attorney General's office said on September 29 that it is reviewing Cornell's response.
What do the defendants say?
What is still disputed?
Among other things: what discipline each student received and whether essays were the main consequence; why no charges were filed in 2024; how the 2024 sworn statement compares with the lawsuit; and what evidence campus police gave the District Attorney. Each is tracked with every side's position on the Status Tracker.
Sources: Status Tracker
What happens next?
The special prosecutor's investigation continues; she may present evidence to a grand jury, which can indict only if the evidence is legally sufficient and gives "reasonable cause to believe" a person committed a crime. A court in Albany will decide the defendant's challenge to her appointment. The Yates review will report to Cornell's trustees. The civil lawsuit is pending in New York County Supreme Court. We update the timeline as each of these moves.
Sources: Executive Law, section 63, Criminal Procedure Law 190.65